Safety knives generally include a blade having a first protected position and second extended cutting position. Safety knives such as the one disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,832,438 include a spring urging the blade to the protected position. In the cutting position, the front of the blade with its blade edge extends beyond the knife's housing and may be used for cutting. Such a knife is very good for cutting and thus opening a box, but it is limited when it comes to cutting away a film wrapping from a package. If such a knife is used to cut film wrapping from a package, the blade may tend to damage the package.
Knives that are designed to remove film packaging without damaging the contents of the packaging tend to be limited in value when it comes to cutting a box. There is a need for a single knife that effectively serves both of these functions.